Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mississippi Gov. Bryant Eyes Special Session on Tornado Damage
May 7 2014 // Gov. Phil Bryant may call the Mississippi Legislature into special session to help pay state government’s share of tornado recovery costs. Speaking in Louisville, Bryant told reporters that the state believes that it...
‘Inhance’ Launched to Plug Re/Insurers’ Cat Loss Information Gaps
May 7 2014 // Lloyd’s Old Library was the setting yesterday for the launch of inhance, a new product designed to close gaps in existing models that continue to expose re/insurers – and companies – to unexpected catastrophe...
U.S. Report: Climate Change Here, Deal With It
May 6 2014 // Climate change is in the here and now, according to a massive report issued on Tuesday. The White House’s National Climate Assessment report is part of President Barack Obama’s effort to prepare the nation for...
Deadly Wildfire Spreads in Oklahoma, 1,000 Evacuate
May 6 2014 // Firefighters facing another hot and windy forecast worked on May 5 to battle a large wildfire in central Oklahoma that destroyed at least six homes and left one person dead after a controlled burn spread out of...
AIG Profit Falls 27% in Q1; Hurt by Catastrophes, Severe Losses
May 6 2014 // Global insurer American International Group Inc. (AIG) reported net income of $1.6 billion for the first quarter, a 27 percent drop compared to $2.2 billion for the first quarter of 2013. After-tax operating income was...
Some In Tupelo Say Warning Sirens Never Sounded Before Tornado
May 5 2014 // Some people in Tupelo are saying that warning sirens failed to sound before a tornado struck the city Monday afternoon. Resident LaShona Jamison, who has a siren in her backyard, told WTVA-TV that the siren never...
University Of Nevada Dorms Raise Quake Safety Concerns
May 5 2014 // The more than a century-old Manzanita and Lincoln resident halls at the University of Nevada, Reno are steeped in history, but their vulnerability in the event of an earthquake is causing some concern about the students...
Arizona Law to Protect Cities From Catastrophic Death Costs
May 5 2014 // Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed a bill that would protect cities and towns from large insurance liabilities in the case of a disaster that results in the death or serious injury of a public safety employee. House...
Recent Quakes Push Interest, Sales of Policies in California
May 5 2014 // Some people don’t need Earth Day to be reminded they live on a planet powered by the forces of nature. The recent string earthquakes on the Pacific belt may have hit home with California homeowners, who were already...
California Bill to Close Earthquake Loophole Clears Committee
May 5 2014 // A California bill to close a loophole that enables building on active earthquake faults without considering the impacts passed a key committee hurdle in late April. Senate Bill 1155, authored by state Sen. Ted Lieu,...
10 Challenges Ahead for Workers’ Compensation
May 5 2014 // Today’s challenges are also tomorrow’s opportunities depending on the viewpoint. Those same opportunities could also remain tomorrow’s challenges. This special report highlights 10 current workers’...
Mississippi County Hit by Tornado Faces Challenge of Starting Over
May 4 2014 // Rescuers were still looking for people missing after Monday’s tornado when Louisville and Winston County officials started thinking about long-term recovery. The county of 19,000 people in east Mississippi faces...
Arkansas Tornado Was EF4
May 2 2014 // National Weather Service officials said that a weekend tornado that killed 15 people as it ripped through Little Rock’s suburbs was just shy of being rated Arkansas’ first top-of-the-scale storm in 85 years. A...
Southern California Wildfire More than Halfway Contained
May 2 2014 // The Etiwanda Fire in Southern California fueled by strong winds and high gusts that forced more than 1,000 evacuations is now 53 percent contained, according to fire officials. The fire in San Bernardino County around...
Hundreds Rescued From Flooding in Florida Panhandle, Coastal Alabama
May 1 2014 // People were plucked off rooftops or climbed into their attics to get away from fast-rising waters when nearly 2 feet of rain fell on the Florida Panhandle and Alabama coast in the span of about 24 hours, the latest bout of...
Best Affirms State Automobile Mutual and Operating Subs Ratings
May 1 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company and its operating...
Mississippi Tornado Was Rated EF-4, Says Weather Service
Apr 30 2014 // The National Weather Service said the tornado that hit the Louisville, Miss., area Monday night has a preliminary rating of EF-4. Mike Edmonston, senior meteorologist at National Weather Service in Jackson, Miss.,...
Severe Weather Continues; Florida, Alabama Suffer Flooding
Apr 30 2014 // The Florida Panhandle and the Alabama Gulf Coast are dealing with severe flooding from torrential rains as a storm system continues to batter the Southeast. The death toll from the dozens of tornadoes, heavy rains and...
National Weather Service Says Oklahoma/Kansas Tornado Was EF2
Apr 30 2014 // The National Weather Service in Tulsa, Oklahoma says the EF2 tornado that killed one person in Quapaw earlier this week started at 5:29 p.m. Sunday, April 27 about 3 miles southwest of Quapaw. The tornado packing maximum...
Arkansas Tornado Hits 1 Street Particularly Hard
Apr 30 2014 // Mark Wade and his family heard the dire warnings on TV and the tornado sirens, and were prepared to ride out the storm in their closet when a neighbor across the street on Vilonia’s Aspen Creek Drive yelled out:...
